Freund soars to victory in Germany

Local favourite Severin Freund won his second straight World Cup ski jump event for his fourth victory of the season in Titisee-Neustadt on Saturday.

Fresh from a victory in Willingen last weekend, the 26-year-old, who made his World Cup debut eight years ago in Engelberg, cleared 138.5 metres on his first attempt, before landing a 140 metre jump on his second run to gain a total points score of 276.2.

Austria’s Stefan Kraft overcame a shaky start to finish second. The Four Hills champion produced a disappointing jump of 134 metres before stepping it up a gear with a final leap of 139 metres.

Slovenia’s Peter Prevc, who won in Sapporo last month, completed the podium and this result sees him retain second place in the overall World Cup standings, just 49 points behind current leader Stefan Kraft.